Only seventeen people arrived here and, led by Kevin, began post-match recovery training, with over seven players absent under the guise of sick leave.
Clearly, Kevin had lost control of the team.
Many senior players were making their voices heard through training strikes, hoping the club would dismiss him soon.
After the recovery training.
Maël took a football to the adjacent field to practice dribbling with Gilbert.
"I need to add some training volume on rest days."
He couldn't wait to play, to prove his worth in the EFL Championship, and to do something for the team he currently played for.
The feeling of waiting was unpleasant; no one liked being in a dormant state, everyone wanted a clear path forward.
Maël set up training equipment on the field, simulating real combat situations as much as possible, and dribbled past the cones with all his might.
He kept using Bicycle Kick, while Gilbert used several different techniques.
After realizing that facing the cones could achieve the same training effect, the two stopped practicing against each other.
A person's tolerance is ultimately limited.
Maël had a proficiency panel and could see his progress and results at any time, but Gilbert didn't.
If he really had to defend Maël's Bicycle Kick all day long, he would definitely break down and feel disgusted at the sight of it. Days passed like this, the entire club shrouded in gloom, the players were silent, and laughter was rarely heard during training sessions.
Only when they were alone together would there occasionally be an enthusiastic atmosphere.
On August 10th, after the new season of the Premier League kicked off, the EFL Cup was also about to begin.
Sheffield United would face Hartlepool United, a sixth-tier National League team, in the first round of the competition on the 12th.
They had two cup competitions to play this season, the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
In terms of importance, the FA Cup was definitely better than the EFL Cup, it was the cup that many top teams had the strongest desire to compete for.
As for the EFL Cup, most teams just played it by ear, and only if they accidentally made it to the semi-finals would they consider going all out for the title.
But clearly, these two cup competitions had nothing to do with Sheffield United.
They didn't have the possibility of winning the championship, so it was better to give up early and focus on staying in the EFL Championship with all their strength.
On this day, in the evening, Maël finally ushered in the moment he had been waiting for.
A tingling sensation arose in his hips and knees, and the Muscle Memory related to Bicycle Kick ushered in a qualitative leap, as if he had suddenly realized something.
[Skill: Bicycle Dribbling lv3]
[Proficiency: 1/800]
[Effect: After thousands upon thousands of practices, you are skilled in Bicycle Dribbling, possessing a certain Speed and deceptiveness, with a chance to successfully break through professional players!]
"Finally lv3."
Maël's face relaxed, and now he had a certain degree of threat on the wing.
When facing defenders who weren't familiar with him, he could quickly perform Bicycle Dribbling and flash out space.
Whether it was a Cross from the baseline or cutting inside to threaten the opponent's goal with a Long Shot, they were all good means of attack!
[Skill: Muscle lv2]
[Proficiency: 564/800]
Glancing at the Strength proficiency, he thought about his future training plan, "It's obviously impossible to spend all my time on physical Strength training, the body's endurance is limited, and I have to avoid injuries.
"I can add a Step-Over Dribbling breakthrough training that wingers often use, to ensure that the training volume is balanced and the training time is fully utilized.
"Strive to practice 'Strength' and 'Step-Over Dribbling' to lv3 by the end of this month, and then I will definitely be a force to be reckoned with on the wing in the EFL Championship."
That would be considered a preliminary ability to withstand pressure, break through, and Cross.
After that, Maël planned to end other training and switch to training Speed and Coordination.
For a winger, the importance of Speed was self-evident!
If he could also train his Speed to lv3, coupled with the two breakthrough skills, he would definitely become a sharp knife, posing a threat with every touch.
Even without using breakthrough skills, lv3 Speed would likely be enough to overpower some EFL Championship defenders.
As for Coordination, it's a fundamental skill that he must have.
Whether a player's lower body is stable is key to determining whether they can stand their ground in fast-paced, high-intensity matches.
Not to mention, a stable lower body greatly helps with his breakthroughs and physical contests.
"Moreover, Speed training must be very intense, and Coordination training can just neutralize it."
Maël made all his decisions, and before it got completely dark, he restarted his dribbling training, aiming directly for the Step-Over Dribbling proficiency panel.
More than forty minutes later, he wiped away his sweat and left the training ground with satisfaction, clutching the soccer ball.
[Skill: Step-Over Dribbling lv1]
[Proficiency: (24/100)]
[Effect: You...]
Next, just keep practicing.
Once Speed and Coordination are both up, and all reach lv3, he can upgrade some of his current abilities to lv4, deepening and highlighting them.
In Maël's blind spot, a middle-aged man in a navy blue suit stood outside the training ground fence, smoking and watching the field for what seemed like a while. After watching Maël leave, he took out his phone and dialed a number, "Has the list come out? Is Maël on it?"
"No, Gilbert isn't either," a voice came from the other end.
"Kevin, that two-faced pig!"
He gritted his teeth inwardly, his hand holding the cigarette trembling slightly, "Is he afraid that training young players will become a wedding dress for me after I take office?"
"He really doesn't want to do anything good before he leaves, wanting me to bear the pressure of poor performance in the future and cultivate hope for the team in the second half of the season."
The other side was silent for a moment, then said, "It's not necessarily like that, but I have the board's intention. If Kevin loses five EFL Championship games at the beginning of the season, they will definitely terminate his contract."
He swallowed and calmed down a bit, "Understood."
...
On August 12th, Sheffield United traveled to Hartlepool United's home field for the first round of the EFL Cup.
Originally, the team should have left a day earlier for this kind of away game, but because the opponent's level was too low, the team didn't take it seriously.
Maël was still not selected for the roster. He originally wanted to watch the game broadcast at home, but was told there was no signal.
Helpless, he and Gilbert had to go to the training ground again, adding three hours of training before going home to check the news online.
The two were originally relaxed, just taking a curious glance to see who scored and if there were any shocking events.
However, they were suddenly dumbfounded after opening the data website.
Zero to two! They lost!
A EFL Championship team was shut out by a team four levels below them!
"Impossible."
Gilbert's face flushed instantly, "The 18 players on the roster this time are exactly the same as in the last game, all mainstays of the team. Why would they lose to a National League team?"
Maël slowly put down his phone, sat on the sofa, and stared blankly at the ceiling, unable to speak.
"Did they decide to get rid of Kevin?"
Gilbert opened his mouth wide, "Or is our strength..."
Suddenly, he fell into deep panic. The team's situation was worse than they thought.
"Never mind that, let's wait for our chance to play."
Maël shook his head, they couldn't do anything right now.
-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
To read the full translation, as well as more than 130+ full translations or to request new translations, check out: https:// randomtranslator.com/
You can also join the Random Translator Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------